UP: Law student accuses principal of objecting to sporting 'tilak', files complaint
Hardoi (UP) (PTI): A law student has filed a complaint with the Hardoi district administration, accusing his college principal of objecting to him sporting a 'tilak' on his forehead, officials said on Sunday.
Amit Yadav, a first-semester law student at the BN Degree College in Shahabad, alleged that the principal, Umar, made objectionable remarks and asked him to remove his tilak before attending classes.
In his complaint, submitted during the ‘Tehsil Samadhan Diwas’ on Saturday, Yadav claimed the principal's remarks caused him mental distress.
He claimed the principal told him that “this is BN Degree College, not a gurukul”, which hurt his religious sentiments.
He also alleged that due to the incident, he was unable to fill out his LLB first-semester examination form, the deadline for which was December 20.
Calling the incident a violation of his religious freedom, Yadav demanded legal action against the principal and sought immediate relief to submit his examination form.
Denying the allegations, Umar said he neither stopped any student from wearing a tilak nor made any objectionable remarks.
Sub-divisional magistrate Shahabad Ankit Tiwari confirmed that a complaint has been received and an inquiry is underway.
“Necessary action will be taken based on the findings of the probe,” he said.
After the complaint was filed, members of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) staged a protest at the college on Saturday, warning against discrimination on religious grounds and threatening agitation if “such incidents” continue.
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Andhra to be developed as knowledge, creator economy hub: CM Naidu
New Delhi/Amaravati (PTI): Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday said the state is taking steps to transform itself into a knowledge and creator economy hub with a strong focus on artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
He noted that Andhra Pradesh has abundant tech-driven youth and the government is formulating plans to train them in futuristic technologies with support from global technology firms.
"Our goal is to transform Andhra Pradesh into a knowledge hub by focusing on AI, quantum computing, data centres, drone cities and space cities. The youth will remain our biggest asset over the next 25 years, and we seek global partnerships to scale up the creator economy," said Naidu during his interactions at the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi.
Naidu, who participated in the summit in the national capital, also held meetings with several global technology leaders and industrialists to explore collaborations in artificial intelligence, clean energy and innovation ecosystems.
He met Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Autodesk AI Head Mike Haley, Aramco India Director Abdul Rehman AiThukair, LEGO Education Vice President Tom Hall, Aadhaar Founder and CTO Srikanth Nadhamuni, Khosla Ventures Managing Partner Vinod Khosla and others at the AP Pavilion.
The chief minister also held discussions with Saudi Aramco representatives on clean energy projects, including solar initiatives, and invited the company to expand operations in Andhra Pradesh, stating that the state is highly suitable for green energy production.
He sought support from NVIDIA Vice President Callista Redmond for establishing AI Living Labs and proposed partnerships through the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub to promote youth innovation, including collaborations with IIT Tirupati and Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Tirupati under the Andhra Pradesh Future Innovation and Research for Science and Technology (AP FIRST) initiative.
Naidu urged Autodesk leadership to support the development of Global Capability Centres in design engineering and requested the establishment of an Innovation Academy in Amaravati aligned with quantum technology, besides proposing AI and robotics learning labs in partnership with LEGO Education.
He also discussed AI-driven smart governance solutions with Quantela Inc Chairman Sridhar Gadhi, while World Bank Group Digital AI Regional Director Mahesh Uttamchandani met Naidu on the sidelines of the summit.
Following the meetings, Naidu visited various exhibition stalls at the summit, including those of NVIDIA, Tata, Intel and Microsoft, and reviewed AI applications across agriculture, healthcare and industry.
